Mary Berry Cooks

Melting crème pâtissière, ‘bun’ puns and the most exclusive English tea party outside of Buckingham Palace - it could only be The Great British Bake Off final (BBC 1, 8pm, 7 October). 

Hands trembling, our three remaining bakers rolled up their sleeves for one final time. Charming trainee anaesthetist (and housewives’ favourite) Tamal Ray, lovable oddball Ian Cumming and quivering self-doubter Nadiya Hussain had all lasted 10 weeks in the tent - and they weren’t going to leave it without a fight.

If only all fights to the death were so genteel. The only hint of aggression came from Paul Hollywood as he glared at Nadiya for daring to bake round iced buns. “My buns are round!” chimed Mel Giedroyc, quick to diffuse the tension. 

From there on in it was as sweet as apple icing and raspberry cream mille-feuille whipped up with sticky toffee cake (themed on an abandoned Chinese village with spun sugar) and marshmallow coated wedding cake. 

The trio battled it out with a polite blend of passive aggressive observations (“Oh, are you flavouring your buns Nadiya?”) and strained praise as their rivals smugly heaved their “heavenly” creations back to the work stations.

But really there was little doubt who would win. So choked-up was Nadiya that she could only wheeze a smile as she held her trophy aloft. Even stoic Mary Berry was overcome, welling up and shuffling off screen in the closing moments. 

It might just have been the most emotional Bake Off we’ve seen yet. And that’s really saying something.